International solidarity activists have issued a call for a global one-day hunger strike on Thursday, May 25 in support of more than 1,500 hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners who have been participating in the Strike for Dignity and Freedom for more than month.

The strikers’ demands are for basic human rights: an end to the denial of family visits, proper health care and medical treatment, the right to access distance higher education, and an end to solitary confinement and administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial.

Ottawa, ON— After NDP leadership candidate Niki Ashton made a Facebook post expressing solidarity with Palestinian rights, Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV) joined with Canadians from across the country in offering their support.

“IJV is inspired by Ashton’s courageous support for human rights,” says IJV spokesperson Tyler Levitan. “It is rare for a Canadian politician to openly express their solidarity with the Palestinians’ plight.”

“Sadly, B’nai Brith Canada, which provides unconditional support for the far-right Netanyahu government, launched a smear campaign against Ashton for daring to express her solidarity with Palestinians facing human rights abuses,” continued Levitan.

Protest 50 Years of Israeli Military Occupation at the JNF Gala: June 4

May 17, 2017 at 04:34 PM

June 4, 4:30 pmFour Seasons Hotel (W. Georgia & Howe), Vancouver

This year, the Jewish National Fund JNF gala dinner in Vancouver is shamelessly celebrating “the 50th anniversary of the reunification of…Jerusalem”. That means celebrating 50 years of illegal Israeli annexation and WAR CRIMES. And also celebrating the JNF’s long history of complicity in over 100 years of Zionist settler colonialism and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people!

2017 marks 50 years of Israel’s brutal military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and 69 years of continuing Nakba and dispossession. 2017 also marks the 100th anniversary of the infamous Balfour Declaration.

We thank our indigenous brothers and sisters for their consistent support for the Palestinian struggle and we recognize that this event is taking place on their unceded territories.

Protest against 50 years of brutal Israeli military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Protest against illegal Israeli annexation and apartheid.

Protest against Canadian and US complicity in Israeli war crimes and the dispossession of the Palestinians.

At 8:30 am Cyprus time, the Free Gaza and the Liberty rounded the last cornerof this lovely island, escorted by the Cypriot Coast Guard, and pulled into onthe Northern side of the commercial port in Larnaca.

“We’ve been waiting a long time to unify our group, which has been splitbetween Cyprus and Crete . We are excited to combine both groups who have workedso hard on this project and are so enthusiastic about setting out for Gaza . Onthe way in today, we had the Cypriot authorities escorting us. Now, it’s timefor the world to escort us to Gaza .” Said Paul Larudee, one of theorganizers.